Lafayette Elementary School students practice emergency drills with Mayor Gavin Newsom in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, October 21, 2008. They will drop, cover and hold on the 140th anniversary of a 6.8 earthquake on the Hayward Fault.

Mayor Newsom speaks to students assembled in the schoolyard at Lafayette Elementary after a disaster drill at the shool. Lafayette Elementary School students practice emergency drills with Mayor Gavin Newsom in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, October 21, 2008.

What's the value of a spot of land near the city's future Transbay Terminal? Let's just say it comes with one heck of a mortgage payment.

The development firm Hines will pay $235 million for the downtown lot where it plans to build a 1,000-foot-tall skyscraper at First and Mission streets, under a deal approved Tuesday.

The group overseeing the proposed construction signed off on the payment, which is far less than the $350 million that Hines offered last year when it was among three firms competing for the site.

But the deal has changed so that the developer will pay most of the money - $160 million - to the Transbay Joint Powers Authority at the closing of the land sale. The rest of the $235 million will be paid over time.

Hines' original offer would have delayed payments until an approved tower had 50 percent of its space preleased. That could have led to years of delay in a slow economy because construction probably would not have begun until the space was leased.

Rezoning the site could take more than a year, meaning that construction probably won't start until 2010.

Shake it up: Look, all we wanted from Tuesday's citywide earthquake drill was one thing: Gavin Newsom, in full suit and tie, crouched under a desk. Is that really too much to ask?

Apparently.

The mayor visited Lafayette Elementary School to make sure the kids in Barbara Welsh's fourth-grade class were doing the duck and cover. When the alarm went off, the kids scrambled under their desks, and Newsom nodded his approval. He did take a step or two toward the doorway to get some cover there.

When a bell signaled the all-clear, Welsh's students and 450 other kids at the school marched out to the blacktop as part of the drill. There, they finished the day by coloring and following around the mayor, asking for his autograph.

All told, about 175,000 people participated in San Francisco's first citywide earthquake drill, the mayor said. The goal of the day was to practice the drills and also remind folks to prepare emergency supplies and disaster plans.

Is the mayor prepared? At City Hall, yes, he said. And at home? He admitted he could probably do better. But it's not like he plans to spend much time at home after a major earthquake.

Turn down that music: Scofflaw nightclub owners, watch out. The Entertainment Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to make it easier for officials to crack down on entertainment establishments that cause problems.

If approved by the Board of Supervisors, the proposed law changes would give the commission's executive director more power to temporarily suspend permits, shut down businesses for a short time, or cite owners for noise and other violations. It also requires club owners to have more detailed security plans.

We told you last month about continuing violence around clubs in the North Beach area. This proposal, sponsored by Supervisor Sophie Maxwelland crafted by Entertainment Commission Executive Director Bob Davis, has been in the works for a year and a half.

- Marisa Lagos

Talking turkey and lettuce and corn: City leaders are still working on developing a citywide food policy, but the mayor is kicking off a key element of it today, holding an "urban-rural roundtable" to talk about making improvements to the regional food system.

The meeting at UC Davis will include half a dozen state and regional agriculture leaders, plus another 50 or so food producers and distributors. They aren't expected to come up with any firm policy today - more meetings will follow in the next four months.

Most of San Francisco's produce comes from outside the Bay Area "food shed," which is the 100-mile radius around the city (and includes Davis farmland). Local environmental and food experts would like to rely more on produce from that food shed.

- Erin Allday

Halloween gets more obscure: Looks like they couldn't even get the third singer from Destiny's Child to perform at the city's Halloween party near the Giants ballpark as previously promised. What's her name? Oh, yeah - Michelle Williams.

The latest lineup for the bash includes a lot of names, most of them not-so-big. But that's not to say that there isn't talent there. Performers include Latin Jazz legend John Santos, drag queen Donna Sachet and dance diva Martha Wash. (You younger readers don't think you know her, but you do. Recognize a little tune called "It's Raining Men"? We thought so.)

The party that almost wasn't is certainly on, though it's not as big as originally imagined. But it's still free! Get more information at www.sfhalloweenfestival.com. - Marisa Lagos

Wedding crashers: Many same-sex couples have waited for decades to legally marry, but evidently a few protesters thought they would be able to get in their way.

Sheriff's deputies walked the protesters out of City Hall when they interrupted ceremonies Tuesday. Nathan Ballard, a Newsom spokesman, said it wasn't immediately clear how many weddings were interrupted.

City officials have plans to increase the number of weddings performed at City Hall in the days leading up to election day, when voters will decide whether to ban gay and lesbian marriage in the state Constitution.